Kaitlyn M. Strickfaden, 20230804, Validation of the "edger" Virtual Snow Stake: U.S. Geological Survey Data Release, https://doi.org/10.21429/bma6-xn17.
Summary
To facilitate camera-based snow depth observations without additional equipment installation, we developed a novel method implemented in an R package called edger to superimpose virtual measurement devices onto images. The virtual snow stakes can be used to derive snow depth measurements. We validated the method for snow depth estimation using camera data from Latah County, Idaho, USA in winter 2020–2021. Physical snow stakes were installed in the camera viewshed with which snow depth measurements were taken. Then, virtual snow stakes were superimposed on the images using edger and images were cropped to exclude the physical snow stake so that the two snow depth measurements could be compared. This dataset contains the snow depth measurements [...]
Summary
To facilitate camera-based snow depth observations without additional equipment installation, we developed a novel method implemented in an R package called edger to superimpose virtual measurement devices onto images. The virtual snow stakes can be used to derive snow depth measurements. We validated the method for snow depth estimation using camera data from Latah County, Idaho, USA in winter 2020–2021. Physical snow stakes were installed in the camera viewshed with which snow depth measurements were taken. Then, virtual snow stakes were superimposed on the images using edger and images were cropped to exclude the physical snow stake so that the two snow depth measurements could be compared. This dataset contains the snow depth measurements made with both methods for each image used in the validation. The edger package provides researchers with a means to take critical measurements for ecological studies without the use of physical objects that could alter animal behavior, and snow data at finer scales can complement other snow data sources that have coarser spatial and temporal resolution.
These data were collected to validate a new method for taking snow depth measurements using remote cameras. We sought to show that this method provides comparable measurements to an established snow depth measurement method (physical snow stakes).
